Unexpected
by Shinigami Ree
Summary: After being called out by Zack, Sephiroth admits his feelings to Cloud, and the reaction he gets is quite unexpected. Pregame SephirothCloud, oneshot.


Title: Unexpected

Rating: PG

Summary: After being called out by Zack, Sephiroth admits his feelings to Cloud, and the reaction he gets is quite unexpected. Pregame Sephiroth/Cloud, oneshot.

Authoress Notes: Inspired by a fanart by Dizziness, ill-fated attempts to work on _For the Love of a SOLDIER, _and chocolate. Seph/Cloud crack written at 2 am. Squee!!

Also, a HUGE thank you to my beta, Kitahoshi, who helps me out even though she hasn't played the game. Yay for super betas!!

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Stupid Zack. Stupid little mountain town. Stupid Cloud.

Sephiroth was making an earnest attempt to ignore Zack as the black-haired SOLDIER ranted on and on. He was doing quite well for once, had no idea what Zack was talking about, and was quite proud of himself. Of course, every once in a while, in his endeavor to ignore Zack, his thoughts would stray to that blonde headed cadet that Zack seemed to have "adopted". At which point he would have to steer his mind away from that topic, since that was what had started Zack's little rants.

Yes, he had been admiring Cloud's body, yes, he was undeniably attracted to the cadet, and yes, it was more than just physical attraction. No one but Zack was nice to Cloud, but the teen always managed to have a smile for Zack...and for him, too, it seemed. Sephiroth admired that; liked it, even. Did Zack have to carry on and on about telling Cloud? Certainly not.

"Hey, Seph, are you even paying attention to me? Hello? Gaia to Sephiroth! Hey, if you don't pay attention to me, I'll march straight into the inn, and tell Cloud _everything_."

The last comment caught Sephiroth's attention, and he glared up at his second-in-command. "Zachary, I swear, if you do so, I will drown you in mako." At least that threat worked. Looking quite crestfallen, Zack sat down next to him. He'd dragged Seph out beyond the town's edge, supposedly to see if anymore dragons lurked about, but as soon as they'd gotten out of earshot of Nibelheim, Zack had started on the warpath, ranting about how unfair it was to Cloud for Seph to keep silent about how he felt.

"Sephiroth..."

He glanced over at Zack, a little surprised to see the younger man looking so depressed, but quickly cut him off. "Zack, don't start again, please. We both know it wouldn't work out. He begged you to let him go on this mission, we both know he's got someone here. I...I won't interfere with that. I can't."

"Seph, Cloud flinches every time the townsfolk so much as look at him, he's kept his helmet on since we got here. He went to see his mother as soon as we got here, then came straight to the inn, and has been there since. There's no one here for him, there's no one for him in Midgar. He likes you, you like him. Come on, Seph, he lights up every time you so much as look at him."

"He idolizes me, Zack." Sephiroth spoke softly, "It's just idol worship, Zack, please stop trying to convince me otherwise."

The black-haired man shook his head. "You won't know unless you say something. Why won't you say something, Seph? What's wrong with you? Are you happy being miserable like this? Do you enjoy depriving yourself of something you'll enjoy?" He stopped, then glared at his companion. "You're a coward, Sephiroth. You're afraid of your own feelings."

Mako eyes widening in shock, Sephiroth stood and glared down at Zack. "Let's say I do admit my feelings for Cloud...what if he doesn't return them? What if he hates me for the rest of his life? What if he thinks I'm trying to take advantage of him? What then, Zack? How, pray tell, do you pick up the pieces after that?"

Slightly unnerved by the aggression in Sephiroth's voice, Zack swallowed before speaking. "I hear painting is very therapeutic. You could splatter my insides across the landscape afterwards?" A moment's hesitation, and he added, "I'll tell Cloud it was just a joke!"

Sephiroth surprised even himself by saying, "Fine. I'll tell him. And when everything goes catastrophically wrong, your insides are going to be HQ's new decor." Turning around, he walked straight back into town, ignoring the young girl asking for his autograph. He wondered, as he made his way up the inn stairs, if Zack would still be in shock when he got back. Probably not. Nothing fazed Zack for long.

Opening the door, Sephiroth quickly spotted the cadet, sitting on the bed next to the window, looking out. He locked the door behind him, grateful that the other trooper was still out, then cleared his throat to announce his presence. The effect on Cloud was instant, the young teen leaped to his feet and saluted. Sephiroth sighed internally at the sight. "At ease, cadet."

"Did you and Zack find any dragons, sir?"

Sephiroth simply shook his head, and laid down on the other bed, folding his arms behind his head. Cloud, for his part, took it for granted that Sephiroth wanted to be left alone, so he returned to his window, gazing out at the mountain range. _Zack's right, I am a coward. Come on, say something to him. _After a few moments of quiet, Sephiroth broke the silence. "Do you have a girlfriend, Strife?" He could have kicked himself for sounding so stupid.

"A girlfriend? No sir." Cloud sounded genuinely surprised by the question, and Sephiroth devoutly hoped the conversation would die a quick, clean death. "There was this one girl, though..." Ah, no such luck. Sephiroth sent a fierce glare at the ceiling, silently condemning Zack for convincing him to do this. "...She was pretty, about my age. We grew up here, but we weren't really friends. I used to write to her all the time, but I stopped right after I became a cadet."

"Why?" The urge to beat his head against the nearest hard surface was almost irresistible. His mouth was running away with him. His mouth _never_ ran away with him. Zack had to have something to do with this. Not that he didn't enjoy just talking to Cloud, but he really didn't want to hear about any girlfriends Cloud might've had.

Cloud turned around to face him, looking quite serious. Sephiroth couldn't recall him ever looking that serious. It didn't suit him. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Go ahead." Why, again, did he put himself through this?

Cloud swallowed nervously. "Well, I stopped writing to her, to Tifa, right after I saw you for the first time. I...you're very attractive, Sephiroth. And I like you. A lot." Shutting his mouth with an audible 'snap', Cloud turned bright red, managing to find his boots absolutely fascinating.

Sephiroth froze, caught completely off-guard by Cloud's statement. He liked him? Cloud actually liked him? He sat up suddenly, slid to the edge of the bed and stood, all in one fluid motion, and then remained standing, staring at Cloud in disbelief. Cloud looked up at him, and seemed to shrink under his gaze. Moments passed in uncomfortable silence, then Sephiroth finally spoke, his voice unusually soft, barely above a whisper. "The attraction is mutual, Cloud."

The blonde's eyes widened, then a wide grin spread across his face. "Then...you like me...Sephiroth?" He simply nodded, and sat on the bed next to Cloud. It was a little surprising when Cloud leaned against him, wrapping an arm around Sephiroth's waist, but he relaxed, liking the feeling of a warm body pressed against his. The blonde sighed in contentment, nuzzling Sephiroth's neck.

"Come here, Cloud." Cloud looked up, then yelped in surprise as Sephiroth pulled him onto his lap. "Tell me if I'm moving too fast for you, alright? I don't want to want to hurt you." Cloud nodded, leaning forward and closing his eyes as Sephiroth tilted his head back and kissed him.

Sometime later, Sephiroth yawned and pulled the blankets closer around himself and Cloud, sighing when he realized he'd woken the blonde in his arms. Cloud snuggled closer to the general, and when he spoke, Sephiroth could feel his breath on his neck. "Love you, Seph."

Smiling contentedly, Sephiroth hugged Cloud closer. "Love you too, Cloud."

* * *

R&R, please. 


End file.
